The chief executive officer of Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria, Linda Morrow, has announced that she will retire at the end of June.

As for a successor, the board of directors "will be engaging in a recruitment process as per the Succession Planning Policy."

"In her 37 years as an employee of HGMH, Linda has held several roles at the hospital, from Registered Nurse to Chief Nursing Officer to CEO. She has been an integral part of many improvements at HGMH, including the expansion of the Emergency and Ambulatory Care units, implementation of the Post-Acute Stroke Rehabilitation Program, and the addition of many new services such as ultrasound, bone densitometry, cardiac stress testing, cardiac ultrasound, and pulmonary function testing," says chair Bruce Starkauskas.

"On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Linda for her hard work and dedication to HGMH. Her departure will be a great loss to the organization, and she will certainly be missed. I am sure you will join me in wishing Linda all the best as she begins the next chapter of her life."

Industrial wind turbine opponents in North Stormont and The Nation are backing a lawsuit that groups have launched against the Ontario environment ministry for allegedly failing to protect the public from noise caused by the power generators. "The Concerned Citizens of North Stormont are in complete support of this legal challenge," said spokesperson Margaret Benke. "Protection of the health and safety of well over 1,200 local residents is our main concern and we feel that the MOECC must be held to account."

"We fully support this legal action," said Julie Leroux, spokesperson for Save the Nation. "By allowing the construction of the Eastern Fields project, according to outdated noise regulations, the MOECC would deny protection of health and well-being for hundreds of local residents, for the next 20 years. We strongly feel that this is unacceptable." Opponents estimate that if developers were forced to adhere to new stricter noise limits, up to three-quarters of these turbines would have to be relocated or removed.

Halcyon Barrel House, an offshoot of Beau’s Brewing, of Vankleek Hill, placed fourth on the list of top ten new breweries in the world.
The rating by RateBeer.com is based on user ratings since June 1, 2016.
“Given that there were more than 6,400 new worldwide brewers who registered with RateBeer.com since June 2016, it’s quite the honour to be among the top ten. It’s an inspiration to keep doing what we are doing; that taking the time to make the best beer possible is absolutely worthwhile,” says Halcyon Barrel House Brewmaster Bryce McBain.
Rolled out last May, Halcyon Barrel House produces wild and sour ales using traditional brewing methods of wood fermentation and bottle conditioning. Its inaugural release, Infinity Mirror Brett I.P.A., won Silver in the Experimental Beer, Canada category in the World Beer Awards last fall. The brewery has since released a Flanders-style sour red ale called Gravity Well, and Shifting Sands, a sour golden ale with fruit, as well as a number of one-off creations.

Join the conversation. That is the invitation Dr. Suzanne Filion is extending in preparation for Bell Let’s Talk Day 2018, which is set for Wednesday, January 31.

One of the experts on the Let’s Talk team, the Alexandria psychologist is urging everyone to join the dialogue that is leading the world in confronting the stigma around mental illness and sharing ideas to move mental health forward. More details in the January 24 edition of The News.

The incidence of violence against women in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry continues to fluctuate yet it remains below the national average, according to Statistics Canada.

The national average of police-reported violence against women was 1,113.9 cases per every 100,000 people in 2015.

In SD&G, the rate was 607 cases per 100,000 in 2015. That average was also below the averages for other districts. In Hawkesbury, for example, the rate was 1,936 cases, in the Laurentians, it was 1,024 and in Russell County, it was 1,030 cases per 100,000.

A 69-year-old Gatineau man was killed and a 34-year-old Cornwall woman seriously injured in a head-on collision on County Road 43 near Avonmore January 23 at 10 p.m. The man was driving a passenger vehicle westbound when it crossed into the eastbound lane and struck another passenger vehicle. The lone occupant of the westbound vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The woman was transported to the hospital with serious non-life threatening injuries. Names are being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.

A search warrant executed by Ontario Provincial Police and the Cornwall Community Street Crime in The Nation resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine (speed) pills, marijuana, crack cocaine, psilocybin (mushrooms), hydromorphone tablets, Canadian currency, and drug paraphernalia associated with drug trafficking. OPP also seized one prohibited firearm and a stolen four-wheeler ATV.

Shawn Leblanc, 33, of Fournier, faces several charges, including possession of illicit drugs for the purpose of trafficking, unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm and careless storage of a weapon.

The shake-up at North Glengarry town hall continues as long-time treasurer Annie Levac has been replaced by Sarah Huskinson. This follows the dismissal of tax collector Sandra Cameron in November amidst an investigation into tax bill discrepancies. Also late last year, CAO Daniel Gagnon announced he was quitting to return to Elliot Lake.

A 23-year-old Ottawa man died Saturday when the vehicle he was driving rolled over on the eastbound Highway 417 near Dunvegan.

Matthias Foks was pronounced deceased at the hospital after the vehicle left the roadway, rolled over, coming to rest in the centre median, reports the Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry Ontario Provincial Police detachment.

The Hawkesbury Crime Unit of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) needs the assistance of the public to identify two men operating under "Ontario Air Duct" which advertises through Facebook.

A resident of Alfred-Plantagenet Township has been victimized after using their services for air duct cleaning. Once the appointment was made, two male subjects attended the victim's home to complete the work. During the course of their visit, one subject committed a gesture of a sexual nature towards the victim. Both men left the residence driving an orange-coloured business truck. The victim was not physically injured during this incident.

This matter is still under investigation. The Hawkesbury OPP is asking that if you have any information on this company, have hired their services or, know the subjects, to contact Detective/Constable Eddy Saardi at 613-632-2729 or 1-888-310-1122.